Hereafter we will refer for the sake of simplicity to the electrostimulation of the nervous system, without however excluding the other applications.
In the field it is known to use electrocatheters, i.e. catheters equipped with electrodes, capable of being inserted into the spinal column of an individual and of reaching the spinal root/ganglion complex through the epidural space. Their task is to electrically stimulate such a complex according to what is established by a predetermined therapeutic procedure. Other applications of electrostimulation are known at the level of the PNS. Before proceeding with therapeutic stimulation, it is necessary to check that the electrode is positioned at the desired point, i.e. for example at the preselected ganglion. For this purpose “paraesthesia” is used, i.e. electrical testing stimulations are sent and the patient is asked to tell the doctor when he feels a predetermined sensation.
The effectiveness of such a testing procedure is quite uncertain and causes numerous failures of the subsequent therapy steps. Indeed, the level of sensitivity, and therefore of accuracy, varies from patient to patient based on personal and non-objective characteristics. Moreover, the electrical testing stimulation is at the doctor's discretion, and therefore it could be of a magnitude such as to still provide a response of the patient even when the positioning is poor. This also places the well-being of the subject at risk, since the testing stimulus could not be of the physiologically correct magnitude.